Beautiful Plowers. 




^^ 



HRUBS and plants of all 
kinds, to bloom freely, 
must be in a high state of 
vitality; and when in a 
healthy condition it is only 
natural that the flowers 
will be of a bright and 
attractive hue. To secure 
the vigorous condition de- 
scribed, with dark, luxuri- 
ant foliage, and large and 
richly colored flowers, it is 
necessary that they should 
receive by root absorption, 
the elements to develop 
strength, which -will in- 
duce a rapid growth, and, 
as a necessity, the most 
beautiful foliage will fol- 
low. 



While the rays of the sun, air and moisture are altogether necessary, 
at the same time the proper food must be given plants, or they cannot 
thrive properly. This is furnished in the Claek's Cove Plant Fer- 
tilizer, which is fully described on page 2 of this issue. This 
compound is likewise a valuable insecticide. 

We can highly recommend this preparation to all who love and 
grow flowers, and however limited the number of plants they may 
possess, this compound will enable them to secure such pleasure 
through brilliant coloring and exquisite fragrance, as will more than 
return the outlay incurred in making the experiment. 



Presented by Clark's Cove Guano Co. 



Copyrighted, 18S7, by C. C. G. Co. 



FLORA'S 



HAN D-BOO K 



A GUIDE TO 

FLOWER CULTURE 

AND 

WINDOW GARDENING, 

WITH 

BOTANICAL NOTES. 




,^„ _^ . OP CONG 

, AUG 25 \UlJ^ 



V New Bedford, Mass. : 

CLARK^S COVE GUANO COMPANY, 

26 Burling Slip, New York. 



FOR HOUSE OR CONSERVATORY. 



The Clark's Cove Plant Fertilizer. 



An Odorless Plant Food and Insecticide for Tot 
Plants, Yines, Choice Shrubs, etc. 

Develops Increased Vitality and Strength, Rapid 

Growth, Rich, Dark Foliage, with 

Perfection of Form. 

Producing Luxuriant Flowers of Great Brilliancy 
and Exquisite Fragrance. 



In Canisters (accompanied with a copy of Floba's 
Hand-Book— a guide to Flower Culture and Window 
Gardening with Botanical Notes). Price, 25 cents. 

Sold by Eetail Merchants. 

Sample Cans fob, Trial mailed on receipt of five 
two-cent postage stamps. 

Agents wanted. Territory guaranteed. Address, 

CLARK'S COVE GUANO CO. 




New Bedford, Mass. 



26 Burling Slip, N, V 



DIRECTIONS FOR USE. 

Use in the proportion of one teaspoonful to a pot eight inches in 
diameter, every alternate week. Sprinkle over the surface, around and 
away from tfie stem, but avoiding any contact ; then with a stick or a blunt 
knife blade, work into the soil very lightly, not, however, so as to disturb 
the roots. Water moderately. 

As A Steep.— This mode of application is, in some respects, more 
desirable, and can be made in about the proportion of one tablespoonful 
to two quarts of water, applying from half a gill to a gill of the liciuid— 
according to the size and strength of the plant— every few days. Let the 
application be on the surface of the soil, not allowing any contact with the 
foliage. This steep can be made in a covered tin can, and any unused 
kept for later use. SHAKE WELL BEFORE APPLICATION. 



S^ 



^^ Do NOT EXCEED THE QUANTITIES NAMED IN EITHEB APPLICATION. 




^«1|iPllii^^ 



BRILLIANT 
FLOWERS 

IN THE 

CASEMENiT. 

[ N cultivating plants in 
1 pots, boxes or other 



similar vessels, we con- 
fine their roots to a very 
circumscribed area, preventing them from wandering to any consider- 
able distance in search of nutriment ; consequently, we must place the 
elements which they require near by, or within easy reach. The roots 
of plants may be confined within a very limited area, provided nutri- 
ments and moisture are supplied them in liberal quantities, 

SOIL. 

The soil used for house plants in general, should be rich and of a 
rather loose and pliable nature, or at least light and porous enough to 
permit the water applied to the surface from time to time to pass down 
slowly, but surely, to the very bottom. Sods gathered from an old 
pasture and placed in a heap until they are thoroughly decomposed, 
make an excellent potting-soil ; but leaf-mold from the woods, with a 
little old manure and a trifle of sand added, also makes an excellent 
material for this purpose. * For a large proportion of window plants 
the texture of the soil should be such that when firmly pressed between 
the two hands it will hold together when laid down. If it crumbles 
and falls apart by its own weight it is too light, and a little sticky loam 
or clay should be added ; but if the lump is firm and somewhat like 
putty in grain it will dry too hard, and more vegetable mold should be 
added. Soil when gathered from deep shade in the woods or city 
yards should be placed in heaps exposed to the sun and rain for a few 
weeks, or even months, before using it for pot plants of any kind, for 
earth long excluded from sunlight needs to pass through a kind of 
sweetening process before being used for window plants. The heap of 



potting soil can be frequently worked, and its texture, if not just right, 
be improved by adding whatever materials are required, even to 
mixing with it some kind of concentrated fertilizer. Florists make a 
practice of preparing their potting soil several months in advance of 
the time it is needed for use, and those who cultivate a few or many 
window plants should keep a little heap in some out-of-the-way corner 
of the yard, where it can be drawn upon when required. 

LIGHT AND HEAT. 

Flowering plants must of course have light, but there are many 
kinds that will thrive in a half shady situation, or if they only get the 
direct rays of the sun for an hour or two during the day, but a south 
window is always preferable to one facing east or west; still either of 
the latter will answer, for one can readily select plants adapted to such 
exposures. The ferns, mosses, ivies, and even many of the cactuses 
thrive in positions where they are shaded the greater part of the day. 

Heat is of course necessary to all plants during the period of active 
growth, and tender kinds when at rest should not be subjected to a 
temperature much below 40° Fahrenheit. While growing and bloom- 
ing, ordinary house plants require a temperature from 55° to 75°, or a 
degree of heat which would be generally considered by most persons 
as comfortable while seated in a room. Some kind of plants, it is 
true, will thtive in a much lower temperature than others, and the 
Camelias, Tea Plant and Azaleas will often bloom freely in water in a 
temperature that would be disasterous to the Heliotropes and Coleuses. 
But most persons after a little experience will be able to make selections 
of such plants as thrive best with Ihem — conditions being so variable 
that no uniform rule can be given that would serve as a guide for all. 

BOXES AND POTS. 

A person cultivating window plants has a choice of an immense 
number of designs in the way of fancy boxes, shelves, hanging brackets, 
Wardian cases, flower stands and ornamental flower pots. Long, 
narrow boxes, made to fit the window and rest on the window sill, are 
convenient for holding a number of plants, which may be planted in 
the soil with which the box is filled, or the pots plunged in the soil, or 
even surrounded with moss from some swamp. Plants that will bear 
crowding may be set quite thickly in such boxes— a few that grow quite 
tall and smaller kinds that bear considerable shade set in around the 
base. 



These window boxes may be a foot or more in width, and as long 
as the window is wide, the depth varying from five to ten inches, 
according to the size of the plants cultivated. The inside of the box 
should be lined with zinc, tin, or some similar metal to prevent leakage, 
and before the soil is placed in it the bottom should be covered with 
fine pieces of broken pots or bricks for drainage. As no moisture can 
escape through the bottom or sides of these metal-lined boxes, less 
water will be needed by the plants growing therein than by plants 
grown in single pots. Slate or soapstone boxes are preferable to those 
made of wood and lined with metal, but they are usually more expen- 
sive. Side boxes, brackets upon which to set one or more single pots, 
and various devices of this kind may be employed to suit one's fancy 
and to give to a window an artistic appearance, and at the same time 
not over-crowd or exclude the light from the plants needing it most. 

If it is not desirable to fasten boxes or other similar fixtures to the 
window frames, then a narrow table may be used instead of the window 
sill to hold the boxes and pots, and even standards may be fastened to 
the table to hold brackets or wire frames, etc., on which to train vines. 
In some respects the table is preferable to permanent fixtures in the 
window, for in cold nights during the winter it can be readily moved 
away from the window and placed in the warmest part of the room. 

Where pots are employed, the common earthen pot, such as used by 
the florists, is the best for all kinds of plants cultivated in soil, because 
they are porous, allowing moisture to pass off through their sides as 
well as through the hole in the bottom, placed there to insure good 
drainage. But fancy glazed pots may be employed for plants requiring 
a large amount of moisture, like the Callas, or for forcing Crocuses, 
Hyacinths, and similar kinds of bulbs in spring. 

POTTING PLANTS. 

Amateurs, or persons who have had little experience in raising 
plants in pots, are inclined to use much larger pots than is necessary, 
no doubt thinking that the more room the roots have in which to spread 
out, the better. This is an error, for in cultivating plants in pots we 
not only aim to economize space, but, to control the growth of the roots 
and all parts of the plant. 

If small plants are placed in large pots the roots extend rapidly 
in a lateral direction until they strike the sides, and then throw out 
numerous rootlets which bend around, keeping close to the pot, while 
the inner or center parts of the ball of earth is, comparitively speaking, 
unoccupied by any feeding roots. The proper way to proceed with 



small plants, whether raised from seeds or cuttings, is to place them at 
first in pots not more than two or three inches in diameter, and when 
these are filled with a solid ball of roots and soil shift into larger 
pots, that is, those about one inch larger than those from which they 
are removed. From three-inch pots shift into four-inch, and when the 
roots crowd knock out and place in five-inch, and proceed in this 
manner until the plants are full grown, or as large as desired. With 
such plants as Geraniums, Fuchsias, Heliotropes and Abutilons, eight- 
inch pots will answer very well for plants when a year old, if the soil 
is rich and fertilizers are added to supply the plants with the necessary 
nutriment. When the plants become too large for eight- inch pots 
they may be given larger ones, or a part of the roots cut away and the 
stem cut to almost any required height. 

WATERING PL-ANTS. 

When or how often house plants should be given water is a difficult 
question to answer, because conditions are extremely variable, and in a 
dry, warm room plants will need more water than when kept in a cool 
one. Plants when growing rapidly also need more water than when 
making a slow growth or are at rest. Then again thei e are some plants 
that will thrive in soil al- 
most constantly saturated 
with water, while others 
would soon perish under 
such conditions. But as a 
rule plants with a large ex- 
panse of leaf, like the Ger- 
anium, should be kept well 
supplied with moisture 
while growing and bloom- 
ing, and the soil kept con- 
stantly moist, but not per- 
fectly saturated. In a very 
dry, warm room they may 
need water once a day, but 
usually it need not be 
applied oftener than every 
other day, and then enough should be given to wet the soil through- 
out, not merely to the depth of an inch or more on the top. The more 
rapid and vigorous the growth the more water will be required, because 
a large amount is imbibed by the roots and passes off through the leaves. 

6 




Very cold water is likely to check growth, and the temperature should 
not be much lower than that of the room in which the plants are grow- 
ing, and if several degrees warmer, so much the better. Phmts should 
be watered overhead often enough to keep the leaves clean and free from 
di.st. 

INJURIOUS INSECTS. 

The more vigorous the plants the better can they resist the attacks 
of insects, but there are a few species of plant-pests that seem to thrive 
best on healthy and rapid growing plants, but these are among those 
most readily destroyed. The red-spider and the aphis are the two most 
common insects infesting house plants. The former seldom injures 
vigorous growing healthy plants that are kept in a moist atmosphere, 
while the latter is always most troublesome under exactly the opposite 
conditions, but is readily destroyed by tobacco water or tobacco smoke. 
The plants may be fumigated with tobacco smoke, or the leaves 
syringed with strong tobacco water until the insects and their eggs are 
destroyed. If tobacco is objectionable, then Persian insect powder or 
California Buhach may be applied, although the latter is most expensive. 

SELECTION OF WINDOW PLANTS. 

Geraniums are general favorites, as they bloom freely and their 
flowers are very showy, while the plants usually succeed even when 
the conditions are not the most favorable. 

Those varieties with ornamental leaves, like the Mountain of Snow, 
Happy Thought and Mrs. Pollock, make very showy window plants 
even when not in bloom. The variegated, scented, zonale and ivy 
leaved varieties are also very attractive. Monthly Carnations are also 
favorite house plants, blooming freely during the winter months and 
ahiiost in any moderately warm room. These require fertilizing appli- 
cations to keep up a constant succession of flowers. 

Callas, Fuchsias, Azaleas, Heaths, Cape Jasmine, Bouvardias and 
Begonias are free blooming plants of easy culture. Also, Cyclamens, 
Chrvsanthemums, Chinese Primroses, Hyacinths, and other bulbs; 
Heliotropes, and such roses as the Bengal, Bourbon, and Tea varieties, 
and Camellias, will be found well adapted to window cultivation. 

These also might be added, but they require a higher temperature, 
and are more difficult to grow than the preceding : Stephanotis, Tube- 
roses, Poinsettias, Orchids and Lycopodiums. They should never 
have a lower temperature than 60- at night. 



For climbing and trailing plants the Ivies of various species 
Smilax, Spiderworts, (Tradescantias), Climbing Groundsel, Mauran. 
dias, and many other similar kinds may be employed, and they usually 
succeed with, or under ordinary care. 

Ferns of various kinds may be cultivated for the beauty of their 
foliage and graceful habit of the plants. They require considerable 
moisture and a rather light and porous soil. They will also thrive 
when planted rather close or crowded, and several kinds may be 
grouped together in boxes if these are used instead of single pots. It 
is not every handsome plant, unfortunately, that will thrive in a 
window garden. 

CACTUSES. 

Of all cultivated plants the Cactus will withstand the most neglect, 
and still as a family they yield a greater number of large and brilliant 
colored flowers than any other. There are vast numbers of small spe- 
cies and varieties well adapted to window culture, and all live to a 
great age, and some produce a succession of flowers in spring, each of 
which is as large, and in some instances larger than the parent plant. 
The best species for house culture are to be found among what are 
called the Melon Cactuses {Melo-CcwMii), Mother Cactuses {Mammal- 
laria), and the Leafy Cactuses {Epiphyllams). The members of the 
two former genera are mainly small and of a globular form, and some 
bloom profusively when not larger than a small or medium sized orange 
or apple. The Leafy Cactuses grow larger, with somewhat flattish 
stems or leaves. The flowers are of various colors, from deep violet 
purple to the purest white, and some are deliciously fragrant. In size 
the flowers vary from an inch up to eight or more. 

Cactuses require very little water when at rest, for in their native 
countries sometimes a whole year passes without a shower ; conse- 
quently in cultivating such plants we may give them a long rest by 
withholding water, and still not seriously weaken their vitality. 
During the winter months they should be kept in a warm place and 
just sufficient water supplied to prevent shrivelling. As the spring 
approaches apply water more freely, and this will cause them to bloom, 
at least those known as the free blooming varieties. Some of the small 
and rather delicate growing species are grafted upon strong stocks, 
forming elegant miniature Cactus trees. 

TAKING UP PLANTS. 

Such plants as Geraniums, Heliotropes, Petunias, Verbenas, etc., 
that have been growing in the garden during the summer, and are 



wanted for house culture during the winter, may be taken up and 
potted in the fall, but sometime before frosts come to scorch or kill 
the leaves. 

The best time to lift such plants is after a heavy rain, when the 
soil about the roots is soaked with water; but if rain does not fall, then 
the plants may be watered freely a few hours before they are taken up, 
always allowing sufficient time for the water to pass down among the 
roots before disturbing the plants. Cut around the roots at some dis- 
tance from the plant with a sharp spade, then raise the ball of earth 
gently, and if too large to go into the pot take off a little all around the 
ball, preserving the roots, as these can be bent around within the pot. 
Pack the soil firmly around the roots when placed in the pot and then 
apply water freely overhead as well as to the soil in the pot. Set the 
plants in the shade, or even in a dark room, for a day or two after pot- 
ting them, as this will in a great measure prevent wilting and insure 
the production of new feeding roots. In pruning off the tops, always 
cut in long and straggling branches, and endeavor to give the pjant a 
symmetrical shape. Remove all dead and sickly leaves from time to 
time, as may be necessary for the good appearance of the plants. 

Another plan is this : such plants intended for house cultivation 
in winter, when set out in the preceding May, should be placed in good 
sized pots and buried in the ground to the top, or on a level with the 
surface. The hole in the bottom of the pot should be stopped up, how- 
ever, that the roots cannot strike through ; and it would be well to turn 
the pots round once or twice during the summer, so as to break off any 
roots that may reach through the bottom. If this is not done, it will 
be almost as difficult to transfer into boxes, as would attend a hasty 
transfer of plants late in September, and which, almost under the best 
circumstances, will wilt seriously and possibly die. The best aspect 
for exposure is a window facing due south. 

FROSTED PLANTS. 

If by neglect plants become slightly frosted or frozen during the 
winter, they should be immediately sprinkled with water at a tempera- 
ture of about 50^, and then entirely excluded from light for a few 
hours, after which keep in the shade for a day or two before placing in 
the window. All severely injured twigs and leaves should be removed. 

TREATMENT OF GERANIUMS. 

In the end of August take off cuttings with a clean horizontal cut 
close under a joint, insert them in pots filled with very sandy soil, and 



make them firm in the soil and keep them close to and around the 
edge of the pot, give them gentle watering, and put in a shady place 
for a few days, when they may be exposed to the weather. Or you 
may first put them in a border in place of pots, but in either case pot 
off as soon as rooted : next spring put them into 6-inch or 8-inch pots 
in good loam, leaf mould, and some sand ; use the fertilizer sparingly. 
They should be stopped occasionally, and when out of bloom place them 
out of doors to ripen the wood, then in August cut back to within about 
three eyes of the old wood, and you can utilize the trimmings for a 
good lot of cuttings. When cut back, water rather sparingly until 
they start again, and, when the young shoots are one inch long, pot 
them in pots two sizes smaller than those they were in before, by 
shaking out a lot of the old soil, and trimming some of the roots. Take 
them in September into the house and keep them rather dry until 
spring, when the same routine is to be observed as with the cuttings. 
They can be grown most successfully by the above routine. 




10 




BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION 

— OF THE — 

VARIOUS PARTS OF A FLOWER. 



In a perfect flower there are seven parts, viz. : 

1. The Calyx. 4. The Pistil. 

2. The Corolla. 5. The Pericarp. 

3. The Stamens. 6. The Seed. 

7. The Receptacle. 

Many flowers are deficient in some of their parts, but the stamens and 
pistils are essential and to be found in all, either in flowers on the same 
plant, or in different individuals of the same species on separate plants. 
The calyx, cup or empalement is the outer part of the flower, formed of 
one or more greenish leaves, sustaining the corolla at the bottom, and 
enclosing it entirely before it expands, as you may remark in the Rose 
and Geranium. 

The Calyx is either— 
A cup, as in the Polyanthus. A sheath, as in the Daffodil. 

A fence, as in the Carrot. A husk, as in Oats, Wheat or Grasses. 

A catkin, as in the Willow. A veil, as in Mosses. 

A curtain, as in Mushrooms. 

The blossom, petals, or corolla, is that beautifully colored part of a 
flower which first attracts the attention, and is regarded by common ob- 
servers as the flower itself ; it serves as a protection to the important 
parts of fructiflcation, the stamens and pistils, and falls oft" when they 
attain maturity. 

The stamens or chives are composed of two parts, one long and thin, 
by which they are fastened to the bottom of the corolla, and called the 
filament : the other thicker, placed at the top of the filament, called the 
anther. Each anther is a kind of box, which opens when it is ripe and 
throws out a yellow dust, called pollen or farinia. This dust is absorbed 
by the pistil, and passing through it reaches the germ, and vivifies the 

11 



seed, which, without this process, would be imperfect and barren. When 
the flowers grow on separate plants, the pollen is often carried by insects, 
as it adheres to their wings while they are extracting honey. It is also 
possible that an attraction may subsist between the parts which may draw 
the pollen, floating in the air, to the pistils of its own species. The pistil, 
or pointal, is composed of three parts, the germen, which stands at the 
bottom and contains the embryo seeds ; the style, which is placed on the 
germen, a hollow tube of various figures and lengths, and sometimes 
wholly wanting ; the stigma, which is placed on the top of the style, or, if 
there be none, on the germen. 

The seed-vessel, or pericarp, is the germen enlarged as the seeds in- 
crease in size. The seed-vessel is divided into nine kinds : 
Capsule, as in the Poppy. Pome, as in the Apple. 

Nut, as in the Filbert. Silique, as in the Wallflower. 

Drupe, as in the Cherry. Silicle, as in Honesty. 

Berry, as in the Strawberry Legume or Shell, as in the Pea. 

Cone, as in the Fir. 

The seeds, or fruit, resemble the eggs of animals and contain the rud- 
iments of a new vegetation. The seed is composed of several parts : first, 
the heart, or principle of life, contained within the lobes ; this also con- 
sists of two parts, the plume which ascends and becomes the future stem, 
and the beak which descends and becomes the root. Second, the lobes, 
which supply the heart with nourishment till it is capable of deriving it 
from the earth. Third, the eye or external mark where the seed was 
fastened within the seed-vessel. Fourth, the seed-coat, or proper cover 
to the seed. The seed itself is sometimes crowned with the cup of the 
fiower, and sometimes winged with a feather or thin membrane, which 
assists the wind to waft or disperse it to a distance. 

The base, or receptacle, is that part by which the whole fructification 
is supported ; it is very remarkable in the Artichoke, consisting of that 
part which is eaten. 

The nectary, or honey cup, is an appendage with which some flowers 
are furnished, containing a small quantity of sweet juice, from which the 
bees collect their rich treasures. It is very conspicuous in some flowers, 
as in the Nasturtium, Crown Imperial, but less visible in others, and in 
some appears to be entirely wanting. In the Dove-footed Cranesbill there 
are five yellowish glands which serve as a nectary. The use of this organ 
is supposed to be that of a reservoir for the nourishment of the tender 
seed-bud. 

According to the Linneean mode of classification, it is necessary to 
give a brief account of those parts of the flowers on which this classifica- 
tion depends, and also a list of the classes themselves. 

Before the time of Linnaeus the study of botany was involved in the 
greatest obscurity, from the utter want of regularity in the various sys- 
tems which had been propounded by philosopiiers. The great Swedish 
naturalist undertook to remove this difficulty and devised a new mode of 
classification which, though arbitrary, and in some respects defective, is 

12 



certainly the most generally approved of any which have hitherto ap- 
peared. Linnaeus made his system to depend upon the part of a plant 
necessary to propagation ; namely, the stamens and pistils. On this plan 
he divided the vegetable world into twenty-four classes ; the first thirteen 
of which depend upon the number of stamens, and derive their names 
from two Greek words, the latter of which, Andria, means husband, and 
refers to the stamen itself, while the former expresses the number of 
stamens of which the class is composed, thus : — 

Class. Name. Numbe)- and position of stamens. 

1. Monandria, one stamen. 

2. Diandria, two stamens. 

3. Triandria, three " 

4. Tetrandria, four " 

5. Pentandria, five " 

6. Hexandria, six " 

7. Heptandria, seven " 

8. Octandria, eight " 

9. Enneandria, nine " 

10. Decandria, ten " 

11. Dodecandria, from eleven to nineteen stamens, inclusive, provided 

they are disunited. 

12. Icosandria, twenty stamens, standing on the calyx and blossom. 

13. Polyandria, from twenty stamens upwards, standing on the receptacle. 

14. Didynamia, or two powers, contains all plants which have four 

stamens, of which two are shorter than the others. Labiate or lip- 
shaped, and Personate or masked flowers, are included in this class. 

15. Tetradynamia, or power of four. Its character is distinguished by 

six stamens, four of which are long and the remaining two short. 
The Cruciform, or cross-shaped species, are contained in this class. 

16. Monadelphia, one brotherhood. In this class the filaments are united 

at the bottom, but separate at the top, as in the Geranium. 

17. Diadelphia, or two brotherhoods. The filaments are united at the 

bottom into two bundles, as in the Sweet Pea. 

18. Polyadelphia, or many brotherhoods. The filaments are united at 

the bottom, into three or more bundles. 

19. Syngenesia, contains the compound flowers, as the Daisy. 

20. Gynandria, many stamens growing on the pistil itself, as in the 

Orchis. 

21. Monoecia, or one house. Flowers, some bearing stamens only, and 

some pistils, being produced on the same plant. 

22. Dia?cia, two houses. Flowers, some producing stamens only, and 

others pistils, growing on different plants. 

23. Polygamia, provides for the only remaining case that can possibly 

occur, and consists of flowers with stamens and pistils in separate, 
as well as on the same, plants. 

13 



24. Cryptogamia, plants whose flowers are not perceptible to the naked 
eye, though there is good reason to believe that no plant exists 
without the essential parts which constitute a flower. Ferns, 
Mosses and Seaweeds belong to this class. 

To these classes Linuseus has added the Palm Trees, which he calls 
Princes of India. They are distinguished by bearing their parts of 
fructification on a spadia or receptacle, within a spathe or sheath, re- 
markable for their prodigious height, distinguished by an unvaried, 
undivided perennial trunk, crowned at top by an evergreen tuft of leaves, 
and rich in the production of large and line fruit. 

The orders Avhich compose the classes were arranged by Liunpeus as 
follows : 

Monogynia,* one pistil. Heptagynia, seven pistils. 

Digynia, two pistils. Octagynia, eight pistils. 

Trigynia, three pistils. Enneagynia, nine pistils. 

Tetragynia, four pistils. Decagynia, ten pistils. 

Pentagynia, five pistils. Dodecagynia, twelve to twenty pistils. 

Hexagynia, six pistils. Polygynia, many pistils. 

In the' llth class, Didynamia, the orders, which are two, depend 
upon the seeds being contained in seed-vessels or not. They are called : 
Gymnospermia, when the seeds are naked, and Angiospermia, when they 
are enclosed in a seed-vessel. 

The orders of the 15th class, Tetradynamia, are also two, and are de- 
termined by the shape of the seed-vessels or pods. The first has broad 
short pods, and is called Siliculosa. The second has long pods, and is 
named Siliquosa. 

In the 16th, 17th and 18th classes, the orders are known by the number 
of stamens. 

The 19th class, Syngenesia, contains five orders : 

1st. Polygamia Equalis, having all the florets alike. 

2d. Polygamia Superflua, florets of the centre perfect ; those of the 
margin having pistils only, but all producing perfect seeds, as in the Daisy. 

3d. Polygamia Frustranea, florets of the centre perfect, those of the 
margin neuter, as in the Blue Bottle. 

4th. Polygamia Necessaria, florets of the disk with stamens only ; 
those of the margin with pistils only, as in the Marigold. 

5th. Polygamia Segretata, several florets in one common calyx, yet 
each floret having a calyx for itself, as in the Globe Thistle. 

The 22d and 23d classes have their orders chiefly distinguished by 
their stamens. 

The 24th class has five orders, comprehending : 
1st. Filices, or Fern. 4th. Algfe, or Flags. 

2d. Musci, or Mosses. 5th. Fungi, or Mushrooms. 

3d. Hepaticfe, or Liverworts. 

"The orders of the first thirteen classes, distinguished by the number of the 
pistils contained in the flower, and by adding the word gynia (a Greek term for 
wife) to the number, may be easily remembered. 

14 



DI RECTIONS 

— FOR — 

PLANTING SEEDS and GROWING FLOWERS. 

PREPARED SPECIALLY FOR NEW BEGINNERS. 



Neatness in a flower garden is of the first importance. Weeds and 
stones must be removed as fast as they appear. The soil should be good 
and rich. If it be hard clay, it can be improved by sand or lime dust. 

Dig deeply, and pulverize the soil as much as possible. A good 
plan in a city garden is to dig trenches, throwing the dirt up on one 
side. Put coal ashes in the bottom of the trench, and throw the earth 
back. The ashes in the bottom act as a drain, and the process of 
throwing out and putting back makes the earth loose and fine. 

The time for sowing flower seeds is from the 15th of April to the 
15th of May. The seed may be sown in a bed— made for the purpose 
—in little drills or rows, having a stake at the head of each row, mark- 
ing the name of the variety. The space between the rows should be 
carefully weeded and kept clean, and in dry v^eather the little plants 
watered. 

When the plants are a few inches high, they can be dug up and 
planted where they are to stand in the garden. In planting, make a 
puddle in the bottom of the hole, place the plant in, and cover up with 
loose earth. Do not plant too closely. Give them plenty of water in 
the eveniugs. 

Some sow the seeds where they are to stand, and thin them out 
as they grow— always pulling out the weaker plants, and letting the 
strong stand. 

Many flower seeds fail by being planted too deep. The seeds 
should be just covered with the soil, and no more. Sow only part of 
each paper, so that in case of failure there is some left to sow again. 
As the plants grow, some will require the aid of small sticks or stakes, 
and vines should be assisted in climbing. 

Those who have no garden or yard may grow their plants in boxes, 
placed on window sills or other outdoor situation where they can have 
the morning sun if possible. — LandretKs Circular. 

15 



DIAL OF FLOWERS. 

'Twas a lovely thought to mark the hours 

As they floated in light away, 
By the opening and the folding flowers 

That laugh to the Summer's day.— Mis. Hemam 



TIME OF OPENING. 

II. M. 

Yellow Goatsbeard 3... 5 

Common Base Hawkwted. 4... 

Bristly Helminthia 4... 5 

Alpine Borkhausia 4... 5 

Naked-stalked Poppy 5... 

Orange Day-Lily 5... 5 

Red Hawkweed 5... 6 

Common Nipplewort 5... 6 

Meadow Gosh more 6... 

Red Base Hawkweed 6. ..30 



White Water-Lily 

White Spiderwort 

Garden Lettuce 

Common Pimpernel 

Mouse-Eared Hawkweed. 



7... 

7... 

7... 

7 .. 8 

8... 

Field Marigold 9... 

Purple Sandwort 9... 10 

Ice Plant 10... 

Red Sandwort 10... 



TIME OF 

H. M. 

Bristly Helminthia 12... 

Alpine Agathysus 12... 

Creeping Mallow 12... 1 

Red Pink 1... 

Red Boxhawkweed 1... 

Bearded Mesembryanthe- 

mum 2... 

Small Purslane 2... 3 

Field Marigold 3... 

African Marigold 3... 4 



CLOSING. 

H. M. 
Ice Plant 4... 

White Spiderwort...... ... 4... 

Meadow Goshmore ... 5... 

White Water-Lily 6... 

Naked-stalked Poppy 7... 

Copper-colored Day Lily... 7... 8 

Common Dandelion 8.. 

Yellow Goatsbeard 9. ..10 

Garden Lettuce 10... 

Common Sowthist Ic 11. ..12 




16 



The CLARK'S COVE GUANO CO. 

Capital, $800,000.00. 
MANUFACTURERS AND COMPOUNDERS OF 

FULL STRENGTH 

COMPLETE FERTILIZERS, 

FOR 

FIELD, LA WN, GARDEN, ORCHARD AND 
GRAPERY. 



EDMUND GRINNELL, President. SAMUEL IVERS, Treasurer. 
V. F. HATCH, Manager. 



General Offices : New Bedford, Mass. 



Geo. W. Kirke, - - Gen. Sales Agent, - - New York. 

John M. Green, - Southern Manager, - Atlanta, Ga. 

Wm. a. Gassaway, - Sales Agent, - - - Baltimore, Md. 

A. A. Mitchell, - Special Agent, - - Portland, Me. 



Works : South Dartmouth, Mass. 



Capacity — with auxiliary plants — 60,000 Tons per Annum. 



Complete Lawn and Garden Fertilizer, 

Odorless and Highly Concentrated. 

One Package Contains the Strength of One Load of Digested Compost. 
Free from Filthy Litter or Bad Odors and from Insect Germs. 

Put up in Small and Convenient Packages. 

Saves Money, Time and Labor. 



Lfi^,n^''^ ^^ CONGRESS 




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